Rush wasn't about outrageous quotes or bigoted bits, lots of people make their living that way. He was about building an army, actively encouraging his millions of followers to be "Dittoheads", fans who'd go out into the world and fight the opposing tribe. It transformed America.

Rush effectively created Fox News, created the audience for it with relentless messaging about how no non-conservative media could be trusted. Without Rush there's no Fox News, there's no Hannity, no Trump, no Alex Jones... none of this.

That ultra hyper-aggressive style that now dominates politics, the snide dismissiveness, the mockery as a form of debate, the nationalization of all politics, the elevation of obscure local controversies into national cancel campaigns -- that was all Rush. He popularized it.

Of course he was a talented broadcaster. That's how he was able to break America. His show was enormously entertaining, he was the best at what he did, hands-down. He was Howard Stern only with no supporting cast to help out. None of these are compliments, they're what doomed us.

If history reflects it accurately, Rush Limbaugh will be remembered as far more consequential to America than Donald Trump and every GOP member of congress combined. He transformed the tone of debate and politics forever, he inflamed the tribes until compromise became impossible.

Saying you don't get why he was different from all of the others is like saying you don't get why Citizen Kane was a groundbreaking film - the techniques appear common to modern eyes because of generations of imitators. Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, they're all using his playbook.